Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1146457
19 LETTERS & EDITORIAL maltatoday | SUNDAY • 21 JULY 2019 Mikiel Galea Letters & Clarifications Planning Authority travesties Until a few years ago, MEPA would never process a stand-alone permit for demolition or excavation that was not accompanied by a construction appli- cation, for fear that it would result in a hole in the ground, as did the Gzira Metropolis project. Yet today, the Plan- ning Authority is recommending for approval an excavation application for the MIDI project at Manoel Island while the very development is being challenged at appeal. Thus, the Planning Authority is giv- ing the message that the appeal process is nothing but a worthless sham, as it knows that the appeal will be rejected. The Superintendent's call for an un- derwater evaluation to assess the seabed archaeology has been ignored, while ar- chaeologists have also warned that Ro- man remains dating back two millennia, possibly the oldest human remains in the area, face destruction if the Manoel Island project goes through as planned. The submerged rectangular structures in the rocks on the island dating back to the Roman period would be destroyed by the plans to build a new bridge from the Gzira promenade to Manoel Island which includes a three-metre extension into the seabed in the area of the Ro- man remains. A study on the site was conducted in 2013 by Stefano Forlani, but for some reason the paper was not included in the Planning Authority assessment of the permit in spite of the fact that one of the authors was Dr Timothy Gam- bin, the marine archaeologist who is a member of the PA Board, supposedly representing heritage. Astrid Vella, Flimkien ghal-Ambjent Ahjar Malta anti- abortion stance According to the conclusions of an- other far-reaching survey, seemingly there is "no change in Malta's anti- abortion attitudes". But, yet again, as with almost all other survey findings (most noticeably Euro- barometer surveys) the views and opin- ions expressed reflected those of a few hundred respondents only, yet these are then portrayed as being those of the majority/most of the Maltese popula- tion per se. It is my understanding that one of the guiding principles of journalism is to not only fact-check and substantiate what one publishes prior to publication but, moreover, to provide full disclosure and total transparency in relation to claims made. At least MaltaToday is one of the very few newspapers to provide the actual numbers of survey respondents (653 in this instance but often lesser respond- ent numbers are involved). However, how many of these respondents, courte- sy of "stratified random sampling" were females or medical professionals or even non-Maltese residents? Were non- Maltese residents invited to participate in this, or indeed any other, survey? Why is it with regard to this highly emotive and thorny debate almost all opinionated commentators (and this includes journalists) are men, as are all those in command at the Roman Catholic Church? Do the views and opinions of a few hundred Maltese truly reflect those of the entire population? How many survey findings in the past decade have ultimately proven to be an accurate reflection of the actual findings of a referendum or an election? As clearly evident, many surveys prior to referenda or elections have proven to be spectacularly inaccurate when the findings of such were eventually known, for this clearly indicates that most survey conclusions cannot be given credence nor trusted with any known levels of accuracy. In any event, as a mere inconsequen- tial woman, I consider abortion to be an abomination yet, paradoxically, a nec- essary evil given the many potentially diverse and illegal circumstances in which a new life maybe conceived. But surely whilst abortion should never be allowed on a frivolous on-demand basis, equally it must never be the subject of a zero-tolerance policy and not permitted under any circumstances. Pat Clarke Mellieha Editorial note: MaltaToday's surveys are based on 500 completed responses which reflect the gender balance pre- sent in the Maltese population; a margin of error is always disclosed; telephone numbers are picked at ran- dom, and calls are made at all hours of the day. We are Malta's most trusted and consistent polling newspaper, and our surveys are kept free of bias with three different managers handling data collection, extrapolation of data, and analysis.